


Take It All Back

by CharmmyColour



Category: Solar Opposites
Genre: Amnesia, Anxiety, Arguing, Canon Compliant, Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Denial, Drinking & Talking, Drunken Confessions, Drunken Kissing, Fake Drinking, Feelings Realization, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Memory Erasing Gun, Mental Breakdown, Mildly Dubious Consent, Sad Ending, Sci-Fi Technology, Science Fiction, Swearing, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:00:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28833069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharmmyColour/pseuds/CharmmyColour
Summary: Morality is an extremely ambiguous concept. Even on a tiny planet like Earth, a simple particle of dust floating in the vast galaxy, no one is really capable of successfully separating good deeds from evil ones; and centuries of war, genocide, famine and oppression could very well prove it. In the galaxy, upon the hundreds of thousands of worlds scattered in the stars, it’s even more complex. What is good and kind is often circumstantial , affected by so many factors that no living being had ever been able to categorize. Likewise, what is evil is, by its own nature, defined by the lense of who’s judging. It’s such an ingrained personal process that two identical people, raised in the same environment with the same values; can still disagree. Every alien culture, of course, has its own take on morality, and it can’t be judged by human standards. Morality is not a tangible measure as much as a concept proving the emotional and rational evolution of a species.Still, Terry knows what he’s doing is simply wrong.
Relationships: Korvo/Terry (Solar Opposites)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 24





	Take It All Back

“I-I tell you, Terry, humans are the worst, but they know h-o-o-o-how to make good drinks.” Korvo stutters, grinning like an idiot, and trying (but mostly failing) to keep his fourth Margarita from spilling all over the couch.

Morality is an extremely ambiguous concept. Even on a tiny planet like Earth, a simple particle of dust floating in the vast galaxy, no one is really capable of successfully separating good deeds from evil ones; and centuries of war, genocide, famine and oppression could very well prove it. In the galaxy, upon the hundreds of thousands of worlds scattered in the stars, it’s even more complex. What is good and kind is often circumstantial , affected by so many factors that no living being had ever been able to categorize. Likewise, what is evil is, by its own nature, defined by the lense of who’s judging. It’s such an ingrained personal process that two identical people, raised in the same environment with the same values; can still disagree. Every alien culture, of course, has its own take on morality, and it can’t be judged by human standards. Morality is not a tangible measure as much as a concept proving the emotional and rational evolution of a species.

Still, Terry knows what he’s doing is simply wrong.

He usually doesn’t think that much about his actions. If Earth has given him something, is the freedom to act without worrying about what the next move can bring upon him, and the green alien always has taken full advantage of it. After all, this was not so different from his usual behavior. This same scenario has happened many times before, over and over, so much that Terry lost the count long ago.

He and Korvo went downstairs alone to their basement, in the recently refurbished Manc Ave, after a day filled with hard work (well, Korvo’s day, anyway. Terry has no shame admitting he rarely works, let alone hard). They watched TV together, complained about any new human custom they had discovered and, in the cusp of the night, got absolutely wasted on whatever alcoholic beverages were available in the house.

Then, with boundaries getting blurrier and memories foggy and distant, neither of them was able to remember why their urges felt so wrong; and soon they were fused together, their lips melting before inevitably falling to their body’s desires. It happened again and again, but something always stayed the same: they never acknowledged it once sober.

It was a silent arrangement meant to determine their affection for what it was; drunk sex, nothing less, nothing more. Tonight, Terry knows, it will happen again.

But tonight, there’s a crucial difference.

Tonight, Terry isn’t drunk.

“Do you think that Jesus guy invented t-this?” Korvo ponders drinking from his glass. He doesn’t know how many Margaritas he had already, and pretty much doesn’t care. He has been drunk for at least two hours at this point.

“Yeah man, he totally was super drunk in that dinner people talk about,” Terry replies, pretending to take a sip that never actually gets to his throat. “like he was all ‘eat my body and drink my blood’, what sober person does that? Unless they were all like cannibal or really high.”

“I bet they were high as fuck,” Korvo grins stupidly. “l-l-l-like that thing humans fly around.”

“Airplanes?”

“No, smaller, like…” He frowns. “Like Drowssians? B-but not alive and not constantly try-trying to erase all life on the planet?”

“I think they are called kites.” Terry rests against the soft pillows and watches his partner finishing his glass. This was his fifth one, not accounting what they had before starting with the Margaritas. It’s a miracle Korvo is staying semi-coherent.

Then again, human alcohol is kinda weak compared with the stuff they had in Shlorp.

A loud thump is heard from upstairs, but Korvo doesn’t seem to realize. Terry looks up, wondering if the Pupa has gotten his hands on a weapon again and is going to Hell knows where to search for candy or toys. The small slug-like creature is pretty much still in his early development phase, acting like a baby; and hasn’t even changed colors yet, which is good. Terry knows a strict routine and constant supervision are good for the Pupa’s growth, and so he makes a conscious effort to let him have as much unsupervised freedom as he can without seeming suspicious. This is deliberate sabotage, after all.

So far, so good. Terry hopes this is winning them some time on Earth.

“...on the way to kick his ass.” He hears suddenly, and realizes Korvo was still going on about something. Probably a complaint, by the sound of it.

“Yeah, so annoying.” Terry pretends he was following the conversation. Is not like Korvo is going to notice, not in this state.

“They were g-good times, though,” The blue alien softens. “before this mess. Still… I-I-I like it—like it here.”

Something switches between them, something Terry doesn’t even begin to understand, and suddenly, they are not talking anymore. They’re kissing.

Terry is not inebriated, but his mind is slow and dizzy, the drowsiness of the day catching up to him this late at night without alcohol and in the weird silence of the house. It feels like a dream. He’s not sure when they started kissing, exactly, or how or why; but by their position it’s easily deduced that Korvo has been the one to initiate the gesture. The Ship Expert is over Terry, pressing him against the couch, sloppy kisses and touches guiding his movements.

Terry does not resist. He knew this was going to happen and, well, Korvo maybe is not in his full mental capacity right now, but he was a few hours ago and still decided to go ahead. So Terry just takes the opportunity and kisses back, grabbing Korvo by the shoulders.

The blue alien is pating, trying desperately to open his robe and failing to coordinate his hands enough to do so, eager to get rid of the piece of clothing as soon as possible. It seems Korvo is the hornier of the two, who knew! His breath is warm and wet, and Terry can feel how much his skin is burning.

Wait. The burn is strange. It’s humid, liquid… it’s dripping? It’s coming from Korvo’s eyes.

Tears. These are tears.

Terry blinks and, suddenly, he starts noticing things he has never realized when they made out before because, well, he was too drunk to care. What he had assumed in the past were shaky moans are, now he is properly sober to pay attention to them, actually sobs. Korvo is crying as he kisses him, still fighting against his robe.

And the Ship Expert is kissing him, sure, but the touch is long and gentle and it's barely a prolonged peck. He’s not making any effort to use his tongue or teeth, content enough with the innocent display of affection. He’s grasping at Terry, but it feels more like a hug, caressing hands gliding over the green alien’s back and shoulders, no intention to taunt or provoke. Even with how much Korvo is firmly pressed against his body, not an inch between them, it also feels… not as horny as it should.

Korvo is not rubbing or grinding at all, or positioning himself, Terry can’t even feel any kind of reaction or movement coming from the lower parts of his body. Korvo is… just there, laying on him and stealing kisses far too prudish for their usual demeanor.

Terry frowns. This is cuddling. By all means, Korvo is basically just cuddling.

So what the Hell was this urgency to take his robe off?

“Why are you trying to get naked?” The green alien asks, and immediately feels dumber than usual. Well, it’s kind of obvious, isn't it?

“‘Cause it’s what you want.” Korvo mumbles between kisses, finally unbuttoning most of his robe. He 's still crying.

“What?” Terry feels something weird itching on his chest. This is weird. Very weird.

“Y-you wanna fuck,” Korvo states, followed by a sob. “s-s-so we fuck. Whatever makes you stay with—stay with me.”

“Wait what? Did I say that?” The weird sensation is getting worse.

“Yes,” Korvo replies, and looks him in the eyes, unfocused and watery and so very, very sad. “whatever makes you stay…”

Shit.

Guilt.

The weird sensation is guilt.

Terry knows he’s not the most… sensitive drunk person. He has no problems believing he told Korvo he just wanted to fuck, and it seems his partner took it at face value. But it hardly looks like this is what Korvo wants to do (at least now), and he was still going to try because, apparently, this is the only way Terry stayed around.

Shit. Guilt tastes terrible.

“Whoa whoa, okay buddy!” Terry panics, and grabs Korvo’s arms to stop him from taking off his now fully unbuttoned robe. “You don’t have to do this! D-don’t do this!”

Korvo just looks at him, so confused his eyes seem to regain some conscience. Terry gets anxious, if Korvo suspects he’s not drunk, even for a moment, everything will be over. Korvo will never let this happen again. He needs to pretend, and fast.

“I mean, we’re not gonna do anything without a last shot!” Terry manages, and quickly pulls his partner away to take his glass. “We need some Margaritas in our blood to rock this part.”

“Hehe, right,” Korvo agrees, and sits down to pour some more drink into his glass, taking a long sip. “for drunk nights!”

The Pupa Specialist glances at him. Though the blue alien is sporting a drunk smile, his cheeks are still stained by tears. Terry feels terrible. He lowers his gaze to his Margarita and considers drinking for the first time that night, actually getting drunk and letting whatever between them happen without thinking too much. Simply wash the guilt away.

But the idea makes him grit his teeth, his whole body sinking at the image. He imagined them fucking before, even could remember some bits at pieces. But all this new information, the knowledge that Korvo was probably crying during it, has turned the fantasy into a nightmare. This is wrong, so very wrong.

So Terry doesn’t drink a drop as he stares at his partner, who is finishing another glass. The Ship Expert can’t even blink his eyes at the same time anymore.

“O-o-okay, I’m ready,” Korvo stutters, and starts to lower his robe. Instinctively, Terry stops him, grabbing his clothing so it doesn’t fall from his shoulders. Korvo raises an eyebrow, but exhales a dry chuckle. “oh, right, maybe be-better if you don’t have to look at my fat body…”

Shit. Did Terry tell him that while drunk too? He hopes it’s not the case. He likes to tease Korvo about his weight gain, sure, but Terry genuinely finds his plumpness to be nothing but attractive. Korvo is soft and warm like a pillow, and Terry really hates to think he has berated his body like that while intoxicated.

“I was thinking!” The Pupa Specialist improvises, hoping his smile doesn’t look as forced as it feels. “We should play a game! To… spice things up!”

“Oh, kinky…” Korvo smirks. He seems flirtatious, but his eyes are doing odd things. Terry suspects he is forcing his expression. “So w-what do you want to do?”

The idea is stupid, but it’s what Terry has managed to think of, so he rolls with it. “Dude, we should totally play truth or dare as we get dirty,” Korvo frowns at him, like he has been proposed an impossible equation. “it will be fun! And super kinky, like…”

“Are you sure?” The blue alien sounds uncertain, and Terry is not proud of his next words.

“Well, yeah, if you are too stuffy to play with me, I can find someone else…”

“No, n-no! We’ll do it your way!” Korvo is fast to assure, and Terry gulps his guilt. That was utterly manipulative. But he needs to coax the situation somehow.

“Great! I’ll start! I choose, uh… dare.” Terry puts on a big smile.

“Alright. I dare you to k-kiss me…” Korvo smiles back, dizzy and drunk and with heavy eyelids, leaning forwards. This was NOT going like Terry planned.

Okay, he didn’t actually plan anything, but this is not being a good outlook so far. A kiss seems ambiguous enough, though, so he takes his partner down with him on the couch and kisses him gently. Korvo melts at the touch.

“I also pick d-d-dare…” the blue alien scoops closer and, again, this is definitely a cuddle.

Terry has an idea.

“I dare you to only pick truth!”

“Okay…?”

“My turn! I pick truth!”

Korvo is rather confused, but well, Terry can be… very particular about sex. His brain struggles to think of anything, though. He 's so drunk. “Do you…” his voice sounds raspy. “...Do you li-li-li-li-like kissing me?”

Terry considers lying, but there’s really no point on it. “Yes. I do.”

He takes Korvo down again into another kiss, and has to fight the part of him that wants the situation to escalate. He hears Korvo sobbing and the familiar burn of the tears again, and Terry feels the urgent need to protect him. Such a fragile thing, Korvo is.

“You can only choose truth,” Terry reminds him. “so tell me: why are you crying?”

Korvo’s face scrunches and furrows like he’ never encountered such a question before. He blinks slowly, trying to process an appropriate answer. “I-I’m sad,” Quicky, he corrects himself. “no. I’m scared.”

“Scared of what?”

“Being left alone.”

Terry bites his lips. Now Korvo is laying over him absentmindedly, and the green alien tucks him into a hug, his head resting over his chest. Korvo doesn’t fight it. He’s staring at nothing, eyes wide like he just saw a ghost, tears running down his face. It occurs to Terry that his friend won’t be able to remember any of this, so he goes a step further.

“I’m still picking truth,” He whispers, petting Korvo’s head. “what do you wanna know?”

Korvo raises his body a bit and looks at him in the eyes, sobbing between shaky breaths. “T-Terry, a-a-a-am I disgusting? Do you--do you think I’m disgusting?”

“Buddy, what?” Okay, he knows Korvo is not the poster child for self-confidence, but come on! This can’t be for real!

“You don’t like me,” Korvo sobs, his eyes pleading. He starts to goobler. “o-or the replicants. Or the Pupa! T-T-T-Terry they didn’t like me in Shlorp either! They thought they did, Terry! Bu-but they didn’t know me!”

“Hey Korvy, easy there…” He tries to calm his partner down, but it’s useless.

“I’m a piece of shit, Terry! A total p-piece of shit!” His focus seems to change abruptly. “And you are the most stupid, impulsive, reckless, dumb part-partner in the galaxy…!”

“Oh wow, thanks.” Terry is quite confused by the topic change. Why is Korvo now insulting him out of nowhere?

“...and I love you!” Korvo finishes, shouting.

WHOA.

OKAY.

“Korvo, shit Korvy, you are super drunk.” Terry mumbles more to himself than anything. He feels trapped now. This is weird, this is wrong, this was the worst idea.

“We both are…” Korvo grumbles, and it takes a second for Terry to remember that yes, he is supposed to be drunk. But he 's not.

And he accidentally has pulled a love confession from his best friend.

“You’re such a mess…” IS the only thing the green alien manages to say. Korvo chuckles, and it makes his heart flutter. “Okay, okay, we are drunk so let’s just, like, lay here and chill or something.”

He hugs Korvo, forcing him to rest on his chest again, and starts petting his head. The Ship Expert is agitated and his cries are painful to hear, so to Terry there’s nothing more important in the universe right now than calming him down.

It works. Korvo is still gooblering a bit, but the gesture seems to help and he eventually stops after a few minutes. Terry can’t see his face, but can feel his breath is more controlled, though his body is still extremely tense. The green alien is pretty much rolling with the situation at this point. How worse could it get, anyways? Everything seems to be fucked up already.

“You, uh, you really meant that?” Terry ventures. He’s too deep on it now to think about backtracking. “That you love me?”

“Oh, shut up,” Korvo protests, a mere mumble against the other’s chest. “like it’s the fi-first time I said it.”

“But like, like romantically? You mean romantically? Like cuddles and kisses and feelings for each other and all that shit?” Terry stumbles over his words. He doesn’t care anymore if Korvo can guess he’s not drunk.

“Terry, you useless himbo!” Korvo pushes up his body a bit and, to be honest, Terry likes his angry expression a lot more than the broken, miserable one he had before. “What the-what the hell do you think I’m d-d-d-doing here? Human alcohol sucks!”

“You said before you loved the drinks!”

“Well, I take it back! I take everything back!” The blue alien gets up and sits away, throwing his arms into the air. “Happy now?!

“No!” Terry is getting very frustrated. He thinks he’s going to burst gooblering at any moment. It feels like his head is full of screaming voices. “I don’t want you to take it back, I just need a moment to think, okay?”

“What the Hell, T-Terry?!”

The Pupa specialist grabs his head. It feels like someone is playing the drums over his thoughts. “Can we like, not talk for a minute?”

“Now you’re te-telling me to shut up?”

“Maybe!” Groaning, Terry gets up from the couch. It’s like hundreds of spiky balls bouncing on his head.

“Ooooooh, so now Terry of all people wants silence!”

“Well, yeah! Shut up!” It’s like boiling water pouring over his brain.

Like fire.

“You shut up!”

Like pain.

“I’M NOT DRUNK!”

Korvo pauses, blinking very slowly as the words sink into him. Terry covers his mouth immediately, but it’s too late: he has screamed the truth at the topof his lungs and, even in his state, there’s no way Korvo hasn’t understood clearly what he meant.

“Holy fuck, T-Terry,” The blue alien starts muttering, only for his words to soon gain volume until it’s also a yell. “holy fucking fuck! You-you got me dr-dr-dr-dr-drunk on purpose?! That’s why you insisted in this mi—in this mixed shit?! WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?!”

“I DON’T KNOW!” Terry grabs his own head, he’s definitely gooblering now. “I thought it would be different, okay? That you would say funny shit and maybe, like, open up to me a little about why you’re so… so… you!”

“Don’t-Don’t blame me for this! You can’t play with my feelings like that!” Korvo is furious, even if he’s too drunk to move from the couch.

“Well, maybe this way you’ll know how it feels!” Terry snaps.

He absolutely didn’t want to say that.

“What the fuck are y-you about now? You know why we come here!”

“Oh, do we?” That 's it. Even he has a limit for bullshit. Terry is now furious too. “Because I was under the impression we were acting like this never happens! Like it’s just a slip, or a mistake, or some kind of, I don’t know, drunk bullshit!”

“Because it is!”

Terry looks him in the eyes, and the next words sounds so icy that he barely sounds like himself.

“It is?”

It is?

No, of course it isn’t. Even in his highly intoxicated state, Korvo knows that. He groans, his head hurts badly and it’s only sinking to him now that Terry has probably not been entirely honest with him. Besides blatantly lying about the alcohol, of course.

“What do you mean,” He speaks, very slowly and enunciating every word to stop the effect of the alcohol and his own stutter to interfere with the message he wants to convey. “when you say I play with your feelings too. What do you mean?”

Terry turns away, arms crossed, biting his lip hard. “I don’t know…”

“O-oh, so now y-y-you ‘don’t know’! Typical Te-Terry!”

Fuck it. The night can’t possibly get worse anyway.

“It means I’m in love with you!” Terry snaps. “It means I was fine being only co-workers until you dragged me into this sexual encounters shit! It means you keep telling me you love me at night and that you hate me next morning! And you know what?! It HURTS!”

Korvo doesn’t answer.

“I’m fine with casual shit. You suck my root, I rail you for an hour and then back to sleep, and everyone is happy!” Terry growls, frustrated. “But then you had to involve feelings! You think I’m an idiot, but at least I have my feelings figured out. I like you, you are my best friend, and I have always thought you would be a great life partner, if you only could decide what the fuck do you think about me!”

The Ship Expert blinks slowly. His mouth feels dry. “But Terri with an ‘i’...”

“What about them?” Terry hisses.

“They were your life partner.”

Now it’s Terry’s turn to be confused. “No? They were just my lab partner? Where the fuck did you get that from?”

“I just assumed…” Korvo mutters.

“So stop assuming and start listening!” The green alien exclaims. “It’s not hard, man!”

“I try!” Korvo massages his gooblering head and reclines back into the couch gasping a sound between a groan and a whine. “But I’m not l-like you, Terry! I can’t sto-stop thinking and being stressed and worried and sca-a-a-ared! I’m always scared! I try n-not to be so angry a-a-and anxi-anxious, but I can’t! I can’t.”

He leans forwards, whimpering and trembling, covering his eyes with his hands. “There’s always… there’s always t-this voice, in the back of my head, s-a-a-a-aying ‘you don’t deserve this’, ‘everyone hates you’, ‘you-you are pathetic, useless garbage’...”

“Oh, Korvo…” Terry softens. Now he feels bad. His own gooblering has stopped, but he still feels awful.

He had no idea Korvo was dealing with this bad of self-esteem. Sure, he has more than obvious anxiety, worries too much, and is always desperate to fill the role that is expected of him to pretend he has some control over his own life.

But this? This is way worse than Terry thought. Korvo actively doubts that they, his family, loves him. Korvo doubts even being worthy of such love. This is ridiculous! Of course they love Korvo!

Then again, maybe they don’t let him know that often, uh?

“Hey, dude…” Terry feels his mouth dry, struggling for words.

“I know what you t-think, Te-Terry,” Korvo grits his teeth. “that I am-that I am bossy and boring and obsessive and mean. That you wished someone else was your evacuation part-t-t-t-ner. Someone better…”

“Nononono,” Terry gulps, hurrying to sit next to his friend. “I mean, yeah, you are a little stuffy and maybe I’m not a fan of your weird relationship with math, but come on, we like you. I like you! You’re fun!”

“You… think I’m fun?” Korvo blinks, finally daring to look the other in the eyes. He’s confused, flattered and more than a little flustered by the compliment.

“Yeah, when you’re not into the whole repairing the ship stuff and really wanna hang out with me, you are really fun to be around. Remember when we captured a bear together? That was super cool!”

A little smile appears on Korvo’s lips as he steadies himself. Terry gets closer to hug him, but he feels suddenly uncomfortable and backs off, awkwardly patting Korvo in the back instead. The blue alien frowns and glares at him with a mix of disappointment and anger.

“So this is us now,” He concludes. “a-a-awkward touches and-and corny bullshit.”

“No, it’s just…” Terry tries to protest, but Korvo keeps talking with such sadness in his voice it makes the world feel completely silent.

“I had a plan, you know?” The Ship Expert almost whispers, looking at the floor. “I-I-I was going to invite you to that human play you don’t shut up about.”

“Hairspray?” Terry exclaims.

“Whatever the name is. We would have di—have dinner somewhere f-fancy and then…” Korvo sights. “Maybe go to a laser tag place or whatever. And I w-w-would- I would… I would tell you… that I…”

“Oh…” the green alien sinks on the couch.

Korvo sounds miserable and Terry feels the same way. It looks like he really has ruined everything, even if it wasn’t intentional. He wants to be happy to know his feelings are reciprocated after all, but this… no, Terry would rather think Korvo doesn’t like him than seeing him this defeated.

He snaps out of his thoughts when Korvo swings dangerously to one side and pukes next to the couch, coughing painfully. Terry yelps and pats him on the back.

“Oh man, oh man, oh man, this is bad,” The Pupa Specialist panics, as guilt hits him again seeing how his friend throws up the excessive quantity of alcohol he has consumed. Well, he was wrong: the night could certainly be worse. “okay, wait here, I’m bringing you some water!”

Terry scrambles upstairs, probably knocking more things along the way than he should. He really doesn’t care, his mind focused on reaching the kitchen and getting some water from the sink. Dehydration is extremely dangerous for Shlorpians, of course: they are, after all, plant-based organisms; and lack of proper hydration levels can easily kill them. Throwing up to death was not that rare of an occurrence on Shlorp.

So Terry practically launches himself to the kitchen’s counter and opens a cabinet.

“Ah! Shit!” He exclaims when instead of glasses and dishes, he’s faced with the yellow face of the Pupa. “What are you doing here? You scared the crap out of me.”

“Pepsi!” The Pupa cheerily replies, showing him a candy bar he probably stole from somewhere. His lips are full of chocolate. Terry is sure this is not the first piece of candy he’s had tonight.

“You’re going to make yourself sick and Korvo is gonna yell at me,” The green alien scolds, taking the candy away from the Pupa. The sluggish creature pouts, waving his tiny hands. It still takes another second for Terry to realize he got distracted. “OH FUCK, KORVO! I have to help Korvo!”

He holds the Pupa and puts him in one of his arms, using the other to get a glass. Hurriedly, he puts it in the sink and starts pouring water in it. The candy bar is still on his other hand, and the Pupa is focused on trying to get it back. When Terry realizes, he puts it on the counter.

“Sorry, buddy, I don’t want you to grow up yet, but we can’t afford to lose you.” He explains, furrowing in concern. The baby creature makes a sound similar to “dada” and stares at him. Terry sighs. “Shit, shit, shit, why the fuck did I think this was a cool idea? It was supposed to be funny, and instead it’s a fucking disaster. I wish I could just delete this night from existing at all!”

Terry’s eyes go wide . Without a single word, he puts the Pupa in the counter (where he diligently takes his lost candy bar) and runs to the ship attached to the second floor of the house. The sink is left running, water overflowing the glass.

Korvo feels like shit. He pukes again for the third time, his vision starting to go black from the dizziness. Brain fog is obscuring all his senses, and his limbs barely respond. The small part of him that is still aware of the situation beyond the pain tells him that he deserves this. For being an idiot. For being a jerk. For being a failure. For daring to hope there was a reality where Terry, where Jesse and Yumyulack, or even the Pupa; could accept him as more than just a fucking waste of space.

Another wave of nausea hits him, but he doesn’t puke anymore. He’s not sure if that’s good, he can’t actually think. The world feels distant, dark and blurry; the excruciating pain in the center of his body engulfing everything around him. He thinks he can see a flash of green before everything goes dark.

“..rvo! Korvo! Korvy!” A muffled voice echoing on his head. Is that Terry? “Come on, man, come on…”

Korvo’s lips are wet. He opens his eyes to find himself leaning on the couch between Terry’s arms, who is giving him water the most careful way he can. The blue alien swallows the liquid weakly, he feels a little better now. Every second seems to last an eternity as Terry slowly makes him drink until the last drop, holding his head gently.

“Better?” The Pupa Specialist whispers.

Korvo blinks twice, his eyes shutting at different times. Yes, he definitely feels better. His body feels better, at the very least. “I’m sorry…” He mutters.

“Dude, it’s fine, we’ll clean it later.”

“N--not that,” The Ship Expert rumbles slowly. “for ruining us.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Terry retorts. Korvo glares at him. “okay, maybe it was bad, but we can still fix it!”

“How?” Korvo snaps louder than he wanted, and hisses in pain. “How the--how the fuck are we supposed to fix t-t-t-this! It 's ruined! I ruined it!”

Terry glances behind him quickly. “But what if it never happened?”

“This is not h-h-how it works, Terry! You cannot--cannot go back in time!” The blue alien groans angrily, and the only reason he’s not yelling it’s because right now it hurts too much. Terry silently gets up and takes a few steps back as Korvo rants. “Even with a Retrace-Your-Step-Alizer we c-c-c-c-can’t alter our own--our own memories from the past! What is done is done, Terry, and I fucking messed--fucking messed up everything! And you too, with y-y-y-your stupid drinking games and telling me that you love me! This is not how it was supposed t-to be,” A pause. “do you really…?”

Terry turns around with a gun in his hand. Korvo realizes a second too late what is about to happen. “W-wait!”

The body of the Ship Expert falls limp to the side, unconscious, and Terry bites his lip again. It has started to bleed due the constant picking. The Memory Eraser Ray will only keep his friend down for five minutes before he wakes up, the last twelve hours completely gone from his memory. Then, he would be absolutely furious Terry took the gun in the first place, as it's supposed to be only for emergencies. But this WAS an emergency!

Well, now the hard part.

Terry turns the gun around and aims to himself. His mind is already racing, telling him if he goes ahead, he would be back to thinking Korvo hates him. Back to wondering every day if his feelings will be reciprocated, back to pretending nothing is happening between them. The thought fills him with dread, but it doesn’t last long: Terry doesn’t allow it.

Korvo deserves the chance to confess. The time to sort his feelings.

It will hurt, but it will only be temporary. Terry hopes so, at the very least.

Quickly, he pulls the trigger.

The room goes black.


End file.
